By Emily Rivers
Last updated 5th June 2025

Commercial Painting Cost Guide

If you want your office, business premises or warehouse painted, you'll need a commercial painter. Commercial painting may cost more than domestic painting and decorating depending on your property size, when you want the painter to decorate and the type of paint you require.

So how much should you expect to spend on commercial painting?

How much does commercial painting cost per square metre in the UK?

Generally, commercial painters and decorators charge a rate starting from £3 per square metre per coat, but this will vary depending on where you are in the country. A commercial painter and decorator may also give you a quote based on an hourly rate.

Here are the average costs for commercial painting:

Job

Cost

Commercial painting per square metre

From £3 per coat

Commercial painting per linear metre

From £3 per coat

Painter and decorator day rate

£250-£400

Painter and decorator hourly rate

£35-£60

These rates for commercial painting and decorating are based on UK averages. Expect to pay much more if your property is located in London or any other major city. If your business premises is in a more remote area, you may also pay more, due to your painter and decorator's travel costs.

Cost to paint office, business premises or warehouse

How long does it take a professional painter to paint a room?

How long it takes a professional painter to paint a room will depend on its size and how much preparation work is needed, like sanding and filling.

For a 3.6m x 3.6m room, expect it to take a painter and decorator at least 6 hours to paint. It's also worth bearing in mind that if people are still working in your commercial property, it might take a decorator longer to paint, since they'll have to keep out of the way of other people.

Office painting costs

If you're having your office painted, it's worth considering whether you can ask your painter and decorator to start early in the morning or after 5pm when your staff have gone home.

While painters and decorators are likely to charge more to paint your office outside of normal working hours, it may cost you less in the long run. If they are trying to decorate when there is a full office, they will probably take longer as there will be more health and safety concerns in trying to keep equipment out of walkways and corridors.

Alternatively, you might want to consider asking your staff to work from home for a few days while the decorating is completed.

Shop or salon painting costs

If you have a shop, salon or other business premises that welcomes customers inside, expect to pay more for painting and decorating than in an office. Generally shops and service premises will have lots of stock, shelving and furniture to move around. If you can't clear this in preparation for the decorators to arrive, expect to pay more as the decorators will have to work around your things.

It's worth seeing if you can move some furniture into a room that you don’t need decorating to help reduce costs.

Commercial unit painting costs

Commercial units that store stock or don't have heating on regularly may need moisture-resistant paint that will prevent condensation or damp.

A decorator will be able to recommend a good quality paint, and they may be able to supply it for you. Brands like Dulux, Leyland, Armstead or Zinsser all manufacture moisture-resistant paint.

Expect to pay between £9-£20 per litre for this type of paint.

Factors to consider when painting your commercial property

Type of paint required

Consider the type of paint you'll need for your commercial property. You may need different kinds for different areas.

For example, if you are having a kitchen area painted in your premises, a moisture-resistant paint is worth considering. Equally, if you're painting a high-traffic area such as a corridor, you may want to consider a washable paint or something hard wearing like a silk finish.

Insurance concerns

When you're looking for a commercial painter and decorator, it's important to check that they’ve got the right level of public liability insurance.

Painters who work on residential properties should have public liability insurance up to a value of £5 million, but they will likely need much more cover to work on a commercial property.

Make sure you speak to a decorator about how much cover they have. Also consider whether you have the right insurance cover in place for your commercial property.

Health considerations

If you own a customer-facing business, you'll need to consider your customers' health and wellbeing. Paint contains VOCs – volatile organic compounds. These are human-made chemicals that can cause problems like headaches, nausea, throat irritation and damage to organs when they're released into the air in high concentration.

Luckily, most water-based paint contains low levels of VOCs these days, but most commercial paint still contains some. It's important to ventilate the area you've had painted to allow for good air circulation.

Depending on your business and the rooms you’re having painted, you may need to consider closing while the paint dries. If you don't open every day of the week, see if you can ask your painter and decorator to work on these days so you don’t lose too many working hours.

Get a range of quotes

The most important thing with commercial painting is to get at least three quotes from reputable painters and decorators in your area. By comparing quotes, you’ll ensure you get the best price.

Post your job on HaMuch now to get in touch with trusted local painters and decorators that are available to do the work.


Estimates for common painter & decorator jobs;

Rates for other trades

Paint office or warehouse cost in the UK
Paint office or warehouse cost in the UK (excluding VAT or callout charges)
Location in UKPaint office or warehouse cost
Paint office or warehouse near London£1,400
Paint office or warehouse near Birmingham£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Leeds£1,120
Paint office or warehouse near Glasgow£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Sheffield£1,092
Paint office or warehouse near Bradford£1,120
Paint office or warehouse near Liverpool£1,085
Paint office or warehouse near Edinburgh£1,281
Paint office or warehouse near Manchester£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Bristol£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near Kirklees£1,120
Paint office or warehouse near Fife£1,274
Paint office or warehouse near Wirral£1,078
Paint office or warehouse near North Lanarkshire£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Wakefield£1,113
Paint office or warehouse near Cardiff£1,204
Paint office or warehouse near Dudley£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Wigan£1,092
Paint office or warehouse near East Riding£1,337
Paint office or warehouse near South Lanarkshire£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Coventry£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Belfast£987
Paint office or warehouse near Leicester£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near Sunderland£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near Sandwell£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Doncaster£1,099
Paint office or warehouse near Stockport£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Sefton£1,071
Paint office or warehouse near Nottingham£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Newcastle Upon Tyne£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Kingston-upon-Hull£1,295
Paint office or warehouse near Bolton£1,120
Paint office or warehouse near Walsall£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Plymouth£1,239
Paint office or warehouse near Rotherham£1,099
Paint office or warehouse near Stoke-on-Trent£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Wolverhampton£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Rhondda, Cynon, Taff£1,183
Paint office or warehouse near South Gloucestershire£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near Derby£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Swansea£1,092
Paint office or warehouse near Salford£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near Barnsley£1,106
Paint office or warehouse near Tameside£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Oldham£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near Trafford£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near Aberdeen£1,309
Paint office or warehouse near Southampton£1,225
Paint office or warehouse near Highland£1,183
Paint office or warehouse near Rochdale£1,134
Paint office or warehouse near Solihull£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Gateshead£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Milton Keynes£1,414
Paint office or warehouse near North Tyneside£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Calderdale£1,113
Paint office or warehouse near Northampton£1,400
Paint office or warehouse near Portsmouth£1,197
Paint office or warehouse near Warrington£1,127
Paint office or warehouse near North Somerset£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near Bury£1,127
Paint office or warehouse near Luton£1,379
Paint office or warehouse near St Helens£1,092
Paint office or warehouse near Stockton-on-Tees£1,169
Paint office or warehouse near Renfrewshire£1,197
Paint office or warehouse near York£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near Thamesdown£1,211
Paint office or warehouse near Southend-on-Sea£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near New Forest£1,197
Paint office or warehouse near Caerphilly£1,204
Paint office or warehouse near Carmarthenshire£987
Paint office or warehouse near Bath£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near Wycombe£1,435
Paint office or warehouse near Basildon£1,302
Paint office or warehouse near Bournemouth£1,183
Paint office or warehouse near Peterborough£1,505
Paint office or warehouse near North East Lincolnshire£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near Chelmsford£1,260
Paint office or warehouse near Brighton£1,302
Paint office or warehouse near South Tyneside£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Charnwood£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Aylesbury Vale£1,414
Paint office or warehouse near Colchester£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Knowsley£1,085
Paint office or warehouse near North Lincolnshire£1,232
Paint office or warehouse near Huntingdonshire£1,484
Paint office or warehouse near Macclesfield£1,183
Paint office or warehouse near Blackpool£1,050
Paint office or warehouse near West Lothian£1,225
Paint office or warehouse near South Somerset£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Dundee£1,267
Paint office or warehouse near Basingstoke & Deane£1,400
Paint office or warehouse near Harrogate£1,120
Paint office or warehouse near Dumfries & Galloway£1,281
Paint office or warehouse near Middlesbrough£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Flintshire£1,064
Paint office or warehouse near The Wrekin£1,134
Paint office or warehouse near Newbury£1,365
Paint office or warehouse near Falkirk£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Reading£1,407
Paint office or warehouse near Wokingham£1,414
Paint office or warehouse near Windsor & Maidenhead£1,407
Paint office or warehouse near Maidstone£1,267
Paint office or warehouse near Redcar & Cleveland£1,169
Paint office or warehouse near North Ayrshire£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near Blackburn£1,078
Paint office or warehouse near Neath Port Talbot£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near Poole£1,183
Paint office or warehouse near Wealden£1,316
Paint office or warehouse near Arun£1,274
Paint office or warehouse near Bedford£1,435
Paint office or warehouse near Oxford£1,442
Paint office or warehouse near Lancaster£1,085
Paint office or warehouse near Newport£1,204
Paint office or warehouse near Canterbury£1,106
Paint office or warehouse near Preston£1,050
Paint office or warehouse near Dacorum£1,393
Paint office or warehouse near Cherwell£1,435
Paint office or warehouse near Perth & Kinross£1,897
Paint office or warehouse near Thurrock£1,337
Paint office or warehouse near Tendring£1,106
Paint office or warehouse near Kings Lynn & West Norfolk£1,302
Paint office or warehouse near St Albans£1,379
Paint office or warehouse near Bridgend£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near South Cambridgeshire£1,337
Paint office or warehouse near Braintree£1,239
Paint office or warehouse near Norwich£1,169
Paint office or warehouse near Thanet£1,078
Paint office or warehouse near Isle of Wight£1,197
Paint office or warehouse near Mid Sussex£1,302
Paint office or warehouse near South Oxfordshire£1,449
Paint office or warehouse near Guildford£1,400
Paint office or warehouse near Elmbridge£1,407
Paint office or warehouse near Stafford£1,183
Paint office or warehouse near East Hertfordshire£1,358
Paint office or warehouse near Torbay£1,190
Paint office or warehouse near Wrexham Maelor£1,071
Paint office or warehouse near East Devon£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near East Lindsey£1,036
Paint office or warehouse near Halton£1,085
Paint office or warehouse near Warwick£1,141
Paint office or warehouse near East Ayrshire£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Newcastle-under-Lyme£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near North Wiltshire£1,190
Paint office or warehouse near South Kesteven£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near Epping Forest£1,407
Paint office or warehouse near Vale of Glamorgan£1,211
Paint office or warehouse near Reigate & Banstead£1,386
Paint office or warehouse near Chester£1,078
Paint office or warehouse near Mid Bedfordshire£1,407
Paint office or warehouse near Suffolk Coastal£1,085
Paint office or warehouse near Horsham£1,302
Paint office or warehouse near Nuneaton & Bedworth£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Gwynedd£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Swale£1,225
Paint office or warehouse near Havant & Waterloo£1,197
Paint office or warehouse near Teignbridge£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Cambridge£1,344
Paint office or warehouse near Vale Royal£1,064
Paint office or warehouse near Amber Valley£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near North Hertfordshire£1,365
Paint office or warehouse near South Ayrshire£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near Waverley£1,393
Paint office or warehouse near Broadland£1,148
Paint office or warehouse near Crewe & Nantwich£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near Breckland£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Ipswich£1,092
Paint office or warehouse near Vale of White Horse£1,337
Paint office or warehouse near Salisbury£1,246
Paint office or warehouse near Gedling£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Eastleigh£1,232
Paint office or warehouse near Broxtowe£1,169
Paint office or warehouse near Stratford-on-Avon£1,162
Paint office or warehouse near South Bedfordshire£1,435
Paint office or warehouse near Angus£1,316
Paint office or warehouse near East Hampshire£1,274
Paint office or warehouse near East Dunbartonshire£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Conway£1,008
Paint office or warehouse near Sevenoaks£1,344
Paint office or warehouse near Slough£1,400
Paint office or warehouse near Bracknell Forest£1,421
Paint office or warehouse near West Lancashire£1,085
Paint office or warehouse near West Wiltshire£1,190
Paint office or warehouse near Ashfield£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Lisburn£994
Paint office or warehouse near Scarborough£1,225
Paint office or warehouse near Stroud£1,260
Paint office or warehouse near Wychavon£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Waveney£1,099
Paint office or warehouse near Exeter£1,176
Paint office or warehouse near Dover£1,099
Paint office or warehouse near Test Valley£1,260
Paint office or warehouse near Gloucester£1,253
Paint office or warehouse near Erewash£1,155
Paint office or warehouse near Cheltenham£1,260
Paint office or warehouse near Bassetlaw£1,113